Datarock

My second favourite Norwegians are back in town - Datarock not quite taking out first place due to the fact that my boyfriend also hails from their homeland, so he takes precedence of course. Nonetheless, I’m more than just a bit excited. A vast majority of the music I have reviewed of late has been on the serious side; whilst it may be good quality at that, they seem to have lost the fun in making music somewhere along the way. Datarock are bringing back the fun. In despite of my excitement, I wasn’t in any hurry to get to the HiFi bar this evening, as I thought very little of the supporting act Art vs Science.

Hailing from Sydney, the trio has received extenuated airplay on national radio in recent months, much to my dismay. I find myself desperately fumbling to change the station whenever Parlez Vous Francais obtrusively screams out through my speakers; their dancey-pop tunes come across to me as irritating and contrived, trying way to hard to be ‘cool’. So when I walked in to the bar to find a chaotic electro dance revolution taking place (with penguins and all), I was left somewhat dumbfounded. I take it all back - these guys really are cool without even trying. Pity I walked in with just two songs to go, the smartly dressed boys onstage belting out the well-known Flippers.

Taking on some double keyboard action are Jim Finn and Dan Mac, the first wearing a black shirt and skinny white tie, the latter swapping for a contrasting white shirt and black tie. They are accompanied onstage by Dan W behind the kit, as well as the novelty penguins that follow them around from gig to gig. Mister W knows just how to keep a beat and looks like he’s having a jolly good time doing so. In saying that, everyone at the tightly packed Hifi Bar appears to be too. Mac warns us all “are you ready to dance?” to which a unanimous “YEAH” rings out across the crowd, as a mid-song funky electro breakdown ensues that guarantees even the less inclined to be bouncing about with the masses. With a ‘one, two, three, four’, Dan with a ‘W’ counts us in for Hollywood.

Once again, I did not like this song one little bit when I heard it on the radio, but its grooving keys and unable-to-stop-dancing beats make this a killer live track. I think I may have just found my new favourite live Aussie dance act; Art Vs Science will have you saying those three syllables faster than you can say “Cut Copy”. But that still doesn’t mean I’m going to be dashing out tomorrow to by their record. Winding up the set, there are cheers all round as the boys repeatedly chant “we are Art….Vs….Science” till the very end. I don’t think anyone here tonight will be forgetting that anytime soon. Not long before it was time for the red tracksuits to take to the stage, opening with their latest infectious single Give It Up. The original Datarock duo, Fredrik Saroea and Ketil Mosnes, are joined onstage by two more for the live stage spectacular, all sporting pairs of oversized sunglasses that would make Paris Hilton envious.

There is an element of excessive mayhem to their marriage of pop and digitial, which I can only best describe as a fun-filled electronic slap across the face. They’re like a bunch of overly hyperactive children having just consumed red cordial straight from the bottle - uncontrollable and downright unpredictable. Datarock bounce to and fro about the stage as if they were on pogo sticks or taking an aerobics class; someone needs to prescribe them some Ritalin! Fa Fa Fa is the next to be unleashed at heart-racing tempo, the drummer keeping the epileptic beats without missing a single one. He makes it look easy as he twirls the sticks around his fingers, so easy that Fredrik decides to have a turn himself, jumping in the drummer’s seat. And while we are playing musical instruments, why not switch the keys for a saxophone? These boys are more than just pretty faces, proving more than competent at playing their instruments.

The next synth-heavy track from their forthcoming album, Red, sees all three lads kneeling down in praise as the man behind the kit masterfully delivers a marathon drum solo. And then the hit that made them a household name – Computer Camp Love. As Fredrik introduces “this is the first time I ever fell in love, her name was…” the audience drown him out with their screams of “Judy!” I had read in previous reviews that this song was rather the letdown when performed live, but their rendition tonight was quite the opposite. Kick-arse drums pound over the back and forth vocals between the spritely frontman and the sea of fanatics upfront. Not long before the keys player launches himself onto this ‘sea’ for a good old crowd surf in the next number, only to disappear amongst it as they all jump up and down in synchronicity. At this point Fredrik jumps behind the kit again as their drummer takes over the mic to shout out “are you all having a good time?” I think the answer is blatantly obvious.

I’m impressed at how they managed to switch effortlessly without impacting the beats. Fredrik has worked up quite a sweat by this stage, taking off is sweatjacket to reveal a substantial amount of chest fur – and here I was thinking all Scandinavians were hair free! The fans are treated to a love song dedication, before the altogether unromantic Night Flight to Uranus (you only need to use your imagination there). Next, a quirky lick on the keys kicks off the clap-along drumbeat to Sex Me Up. The ridiculous pace at which their drummer can keep is utterly astounding. With both acts tonight boasting more than capable beat makers, it shows how integral they are to the timely nature of dance music. And now the saxophonist has his shirt off too – those red tracksuits are not the most suitable apparel for such a lively, sweat-breaking show. Meanwhile, Fredrik is up the back of the stage executing the running man whilst still playing his miniscule white electric. He just never stops!

Everyone here tonight is treated to two energetic encores, although these tracks seem to lack the frenzy-inducing substance of the first half of their show. I think everyone may be just a tad exhausted after two and a half hours of floor-shaking disco-rock. Perhaps the boys should have kept some of their better-known singalongs tucked away for a climatic end? Well, it seems they did save one singalong for last; though it may not be one of their own, I can assure you every single person in this room knows every word. The song Patrick Swayze made famous all those years ago in Dirty Dancing is brought back to life by the red quartet, as Fredrik begins to sing “now I’ve had the time of my life....”. And just as it’s time for the lift scene we all know too well, the fellow behind the keys decides to try it out on the crowd once more, followed closely by Saroea and Mosnes.

This gig is beginning to feel more like an out-of-control party back in high school that is about to get broken up by the cops any minute now because everyone’s having way too much fun. Friday morning these kids will definitely be talking about how bitchin’ that party was last night!

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